 |  | | | | | | Creating choices for disabled people, transforming communities and fighting injustice | | Dear Greg,
Welcome to the April-May edition of the Livability Community Mission eNews. Again this month we have team related news; Maggie Harding, who left the team last summer, has rejoined us as a volunteer. She is working from Durham and helping us to deliver the eNews quality that you are used to.
There are many of reasons to disagree with the current government and to worry about the effect of its policies on the poor and marginalised, but one thing we can welcome is the positive attitude to faith and faith-based projects.
Commending the 2012 Faith and Social Action Survey which showed that churchgoers spent 98 million hours volunteering last year - an increase of 36% over the last two years - Baroness Warsi, Senior Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Minister for Faith and Communities, recognised that 'people who do God do good'.
In her speech, she went on to talk about her government's attitude to faith and said, 'In this government we split our approach to faith into three clear categories: first, faith for faith's sake – supporting everyone in their right to follow a faith. Second, tackling intolerance – cracking down on hatred and bigotry against those who follow a faith. And third, faith-based social action – championing and supporting those whose faith motivates them to do good works'. If your local experience differs wildlly from this and you feel your projects are anything but 'championed and supported' why not challenge and enlighten your councillors and your MP by drawing their attention to the Baroness' views? Our aim is that the eNews will leave you well supported and encouraged in your work. Along with the usual round-up of useful funding items and forthcoming events, you will find in this edition another call to discover an openness to people of faith rather than a bias against it, in the EA's Home for Good initiative plus two inspiring stories involving a winter shelter and a cafe church with a difference. As we remember the events we have just celebrated at Easter, it seems appropriate to finish with these words from Hebrews 13:
Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Kind regards,
The eNews team
Livability | | | | Quick links to this month's enews content... | | | | | | What are your thoughts on fostering and adoption? Is there anyone in your church who is a foster parent? Are there adopted children? How can we as church get involved in this? After attending the launch of this campaign we discovered similarities in the need for inclusion within the community of a group, that is often forgotten. Take a look at our comments, and the campaign itself.
| | | | | | | | What does a truly inclusive church look like? Rev Sally Hitchener has written an article for us telling the story of a Cafe church she was involved in earlier in her ministry. This is an exciting look at how church can be a place where everybody really is welcome, and at the simple steps that can be taken to include those who we might overlook. | | | | | | | | | | What happens when an emergent church joins a traditional social action project? In this article, Mat Ray, a member of the Livability Community Mission team, writes about how his church - which has no building - joined forces with a local Anglican church so they could participate in a winter shelter scheme. | | | | | | | | Dementia friendly churches - top ten tips to making your church more dementia friendly | | It is easy to say 'church should be inclusive to all' but in many cases we just don't know where to start. In this document there are ten simple and easy tips with which a church can start to make themselves more dementia friendly. | | | | | | | | | | This month's funding suggestions includes sources of funding relating to summer play schemes, youth work, and general church community projects. | | | | | This independent fund supports charities that address disadvantage at community level. The Fund has a small budget to help community groups run summer play schemes for disadvantaged communities. Some priority will be given to projects which show they are inclusive of children from refugee families, and can demonstrate BME involvement. Applications are accepted from UK voluntary agencies with an income of less than £150,000. The deadline for 2013 play schemes is 17 May. | | | This is one of the Sainsbury trusts and funds community projects and churches that address a wide range of social needs. It favours small-scale local initiatives and generally offers one-off grants of under 5,000. Its funding categories are community and social welfare, disability and health, education and the environment. The next application deadline is 31 May. | | | | BBC Children in Need offer a small grants programme and the next round is now open to UK registered charities working in a variety of ways with disadvantaged children and young people aged 18 and under. Applications can be made for any amount up to 10,000. The next deadline is 1 June. | | | This fund aims to grow the Church of England and develop its capacity to engage with the whole community. Small grants are available to charities or projects which fulfil one of the following strategic themes 1) it will significantly expand the Church's engagement with neighbourhood renewal 2) it seeks innovative ways of developing established community projects so that they either a) grow existing or b) evolve into new communities of Christian Faith, or 3) it offers a replicable model of successful community engagement across the wider church. Successful applicants must demonstrate that the project has strong Church of England managerial oversight and furthers the mission of the Church of England at a local level. They must also be working in one of the 50% most deprived parishes according to the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD)rankings. The next deadline for all three themes is 30 June. | | | | | | This month's event suggestions cover management in a christian context, how the church and medical profession can work together, looking at faith and justice and the homeless forum at CRE Sandown | | | | | | When: 18th April 2013
Where: The Abbey Centre, 34 Great Smith Street, SW1P 3BU
Cost: £35
Time: 10:00-16:00
The Livability Community Mission team is running an event for managers in a Christian environment, whether it is a church or a Christian organisation. This is an opportunity to learn practical skills for management and to put them within a Christian context. What is the theology of management? A huge number of Christian organisations and churches struggle to manage staff effectively, this can lead a range of problems and often comes from an overemphasis on the relational approach. This is a chance to talk to other managers and to get teaching and practical help to develop your management skills.
| | | | Faith in Health and Healing | | When: 24/25 April 2013
Where: National Motorcycle Museum, Birmingham
Cost: Dependant on ticket type
This event, run by the Anglican Health Network, looks at how the church is getting increasingly involved in matters of health and why it matters. Christians promote a comprehensive experience of health and healing. In this they follow Christ, who spent much of his time amidst the people curing diseases, bringing reconciliation and subverting the powers of oppression. Throughout the following 2000 years, the Church established and maintained hospices and hospitals to offer compassionate care to the sick. Yet this comprehensive ministry is now more detached from the medical establishment. Faith has settled into the private sphere and no longer seems present nor believed to be helpful in the places in which the sick are cared for. | | | | Christian Homeless Forum and Housing Justice Annual Conference | Do you work with the homeless? Are you planning to go to the Christian Resources Exhibition at Sandown Racecourse in May? If so why not plan to go on Thursday 16 May and attend the next meeting of the Christian Homeless Forum. Regularly convened by Housing Justice it focuses on practice, policy and prayer. All who share a concern about homelessness from a Christian perspective are welcome. The forum will take place at Sandown from 11.00am to 1.00pm. For more info or to RSVP please contact the Chair, Paul Riley.
You may also be interested in the Housing Justice Annual Conference, which will take place on 12 June at the Light Church in Bradford. The keynote speaker will be Housing Minister Mark Prisk and there will be a range of workshops. There will be some showcase and sponsorship opportunities. For more information email Alastair Murray. | | | Jubilee+ (a team set up by Newfrontiers churches in the UK), in partnership with Nexus, Emmanuel Church Oxford are running the Faith and Justice conference on 27 April at the Kings Centre in Oxford. Entitled Influencing society for the common good, the main speakers will include Rt Hon Stephen Timms MP and Martin Charlesworth. There will also be a variety of seminars.
Participating organisations include Christian Conservative Fellowship, Christian Socialist Movement, Evangelical Alliance, Jubilee Centre, Liberal Democrat Christian Forum and Tearfund. The cost is £20 if booked ahead and £25 on the day. | | | | | | | | You'll be known as those who can fix anything,
restore old ruins, rebuild and renovate,
make the community livable again. | | | Isaiah 58:12 The Message version | | | | | |
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